Sikhism·Raag Saarang·Shabad 31
Verse 1 of 5

How Can I Say This Ache?

ਸਾਰਗ ਮਹਲਾ ੫ ਘਰੁ ੨
saarag mehlaa 5 ghar 2
Saarang, Fifth Mehl, Second House:
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਕੈਸੇ ਕਹਉ ਮੋਹਿ ਜੀਅ ਬੇਦਨਾਈ ॥
kaisay kaha-o mohi jee-a baydnaa-ee.
How can I express the pain of my soul?
ਦਰਸਨ ਪਿਆਸ ਪ੍ਰਿਅ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਮਨੋਹਰ ਮਨੁ ਨ ਰਹੈ ਬਹੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਉਮਕਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
darsan pi-aas pari-a pareet manohar man na rahai baho biDh umkaa-ee. ||1|| rahaa-o.
I am so thirsty for the Blessed Vision, the Darshan of my Enticing and Lovely Beloved. My mind cannot survive - it yearns for Him in so many ways. ||1||Pause||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.

How can I tell the pain in my soul?

I am so thirsty to see my lovely Beloved, the One who wins my heart. My mind cannot rest; it reaches out in so many ways.

Sometimes the deepest longings are the hardest to put into words.
The deeper layer

Thirst, Saarang's signature note, returns at the start of a new section, under the short invocation (Mangalacharan). The pain of the soul is love-longing so deep it resists words. The mind that "cannot survive" is the ache of separation, surging toward the Beloved in every direction. Longing itself drives everything that follows.

A Question to Sit With

Have you ever wanted something so much it was hard to even describe the feeling?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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